Shim



Oct. 31, 1933. B. DARRACH, JR

SHIM

Filed Aug. 28, 1929 Il l 4,01 l." l ATTON lie CIT

Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-HCE 11,933,050 sHIMApplication August 28, 1929. SerialNo. 388,908

8 Claims.

This invention relates to shims which are employed in split bearings tohold the two sections of the bearings in spaced relation and whichcomprises a hard body. portion usually made up of removable layers andhaving its inner edge faced with babbitt or any other bearing metaladapted to engage the shaft.l y

This invention is designed to overcome certain difficulties found to vbeinherent in makingl shims in accordance with the principles of my prior`invention which forms the subject matter oi an application filed by meon May 25, 1920, and which matured into United States Patent No.1,417,039, issued May 23, 1922. In the method of manufacture previouslyemployed, the body of the shim structure was stamped from sheets ofsuitable material and was provided with a suitable recess into which thebabbitt or soft metal similarly stamped from sheets of material waspressed to form a connection between the soft metal along the inner faceof the shim and the body of the same. It has been found that the Babbittmetal when connected to the body metal in this way becomes loosened inthe recess and may drop out or be knocked loose from the body portionand become lost, thus complicating the assembly work on the engine orwith the subsequent danger after the engine has been yin use of itsbecoming dislodged when several of the O laminations are removed fromthe shim to take up on the bearing. The present invention, therefore,contemplates the provision of a means for more securely holding thebabbitt facing on the inner edge of the shim so that it will not becomeloosened in shipping or in handling for pense of manufacture are furtherdesirable features that have been borne in mind in the production anddevelopment of this invention.

With these and other objects in view, which will more readily appearwhen the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts shown inthe accompanying one sheet of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shim formed in accordance with thepresent invention and removal.

showing the same before the Babbitt metal is applied;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the completed shim, certain parts beingbroken away for the purpose of i clarity;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a ,plan View partly in section of a modified form of shim.

In all of the above described views like char-` G5 acters of referenceare employed to designate like parts throughout. The shim comprises abody portion 11 of comparatively hard material and of a shape toaccommodate the shape of the bearing to which the same is to be applied.7o

These sheets are formed ci metal similar to the 75 metal forming thebody portion v11 and may be` secured in superimposed relation vby meansof solder or the like lextending along one surface of the same closelyadhering thereto. A pair of holes 14 are cut through the shim to receivethe 80 clamping bolts of the bearing. The metal forming the body portion11 and the sheets 12 may be of any suitable material, such as bronze,brass or the like, on account of the extreme durability of these metals.Because of the relative hardg ness of these materials, they cannot bepermitted to contact with the shaft. However, irrespective of thedetails of manufacture, the essential features of the invention arealways preserved.

The front edge of the body portion 11 is provided With a pair ofrecesses 20, which recesses are adapted to receive tongues `24 formed ona pair of reinforcing and retaining members 22. These retaining 4membersare clearly shown in Figure 1 and are formed of steel, brass or anyother suitable hard material. The tongues 24. correspond in shape to therecesses 20 and are slightly larger than these recesses so that they maybe driven into the same where they will engage the material around thesides of the recesses and be iirmly retained therein against Thereinforcing members 22 are considerably thinner than the body portion 11of the shim and they are adapted to occupy a position between the planesof the upper and lower surfaces of the shim. The reinforcing members 22are provided with shoulders 26, formed integrally with the tongues,which shoulders extend along the inner edge of the shim, as shown in ilothe right hand side of Figure 1. The shoulders 26 are adapted to retaintherearound facing members 28 formed of soft metal, such as babbitt orthe like. These facing members are preferably formed in position on theshim by casting thesame around the shoulders 26 and in the recessesv 20.However, it is within the spirit of the invention to form these facingmembers by cold pressing or the like. The upper and lower edges of thefacing members 28 are flush with the upper and lower faces of the shimrespectively, as clearly shown in Figure 2, to insure uniform thicknessof metal between the upper and lower sections of the bearing. 'Ihebearing thus formed has a soft facing portion 28 to contact with theshaft which facing portion is firmly anchored and embedded in the bodyportion 11-12 by the hard metal Yanchors 22.

In Figure 4, there is shown a modified form of the invention. In thisform the body portion, designated at 11', is provided with the usuallaminations 12. The inner edge of the body portion 11 is provided with aplurality of recesses 20 arranged in pairs close to each other. Thereinforcing members 22' are provided with a pair of tongues 24 adaptedto be received in the pairs of recesses 20'. These tongues areintegrally formed with shoulders 26 which are adapted to occupy aposition along the inner edge of the shim. 'Ihe shoulders 26 supporttherebetween an elongated facing member 28 which extends completelyalong the inner edge of the bearing. Ihis facing member is preferablycast around the shoulders 26 and is thus rigidly held in position.

In actual operation, the shim is positioned as usual between the upperand lower faces of the bearing between the cap and pillow of the same,with the babbitt face in Contact with the shaft, while the harder bodyportion resists the pressure of the clamping bolts of the bearing. Whenit is desired to take up on the bearing, the shim is removed from thebearing in the usual manner and a plurality of layers or laminations 12are removed or peeled from the face of the shim. The shim may then bereplaced in position in the bearing. In shims manufactured in accordancewith the present invention, it will be found that the facing member willat all times remain in position by virtue of the reinforcing members22which are embedded in the facing material and which are firmly held inposition by the tongues in the recesses. By forming these reinforcingmembers of a material which has a different hardness from the materialof the shim, the coefficient of friction between the reinforcing memberand the shim will be considerably greater than Where the reinforcingmember is made of the same material as the shim. For this reasondislodgment of the reinforcing members and of the facing member will beextremely unlikely. v

It will be understood that while I have described a preferred embodimentof my invention, various modifications and changes may be made thereinwithout departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of theappended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A shim comprising a plurality of relatively thin sheets of metalsuperimposed upon each other, there being a recess in the front edge ofsaid sheets, a hard metal insert wedged in said recess of less thicknessthan the combined thickness of the sheets, said insert extendingoutwardly past the front edge of the shim to form a reinforcement and asoft metal facing secured to said reinforcement.

2. A laminated shim comprising a plurality of relatively thin sheets ofmetal superimposed upon each other and secured together, there beingrecesses in the front edge of said sheets,

la hard metal insert wedged in each recess and of less thickness thanthe combined thickness of the sheets, said inserts extending outwardlypast the front edge of the shim to form reinforcements and a soft metalbearing portion secured to each of said reinforcements.

3. A laminated shim comprising a plurality of relatively thin sheets ofhard metal superimposed upon each other and secured together, therebeing recesses in the front edge of said sheets, a hard metal insertwedged in each recess and of less thickness than the combined thicknessof the sheets, said inserts extending outwardly past the front edge ofthe shim to form reinforcements and a soft metal secured toeachreinforcement and supported therebetween on the front face of theshim.

4 4. A laminated shimstructure comprised cfa plurality of superposedmetal sheets of material having a recess in the front edge of saidsheets, a metal insert formed of a harder metal than that forming thesheets and of a slightly greater size than that of the recess, saidinsert being wedged in the recess and extending outwardly therefrom toform a reinforcement, and a soft metal secured to the reinforcement andextending into said recess on both sides of the insert.

5. A laminated shim structure comprised of a plurality of superposedmetal sheets of material having a recess in the front edge thereof ametal insert formed of a harder metal than that forming the sheets andof a slightly greater size than that of the recess, said insert beingwedged in the recess, and a soft metal secured to the insert and securedin the recess on both sides of the insert and extending outwardly alongone edge of the shim.

6. A laminated shim structure comprised of a plurality of superposedmetal sheets of material having a recess in the front edge thereof, ametal insert formed of a harder metal than that forming the sheets andof a slightly greater Vsize than that of the recess, said insert beingwedged in the recess and projecting outwardly therefrom on the frontface of the shim, said insert and its projecting portion being coveredby a soft metal extending into the recess on both sides of the insert.

' 7. A shim comprising a hard metal body portion having a recess and asoft metal facing and means to secure the facing to the body portioncomprising hard metal anchors interlocked in the recess in Vsaid lbodyportion and projecting into the facing portion.

8. A shim comprising a body portion of relatively hard metal and havingan interlocking portion and a facing portion of relatively soft metaland means for securing the facing portion to the body portion comprisingmetal inserts interlocked in the interlocking portion of the bodyportion and projecting therefrom into the facing portion.

. BRADFORD DARRACI-I, JR.

